Opinion Piece

Linux is supposed to be the bastion of free computing. The fact that distros are even considering complying with age fingerprinting is wild to me. When I first heard the news of California striking at the heart of all operating systems I thought "Windows, of course. Mac? Likely. But Linux won't put up with that shit."

I'm not just here in regards to age attestation stuff. This today, that tomorrow, time goes on and we get nickeled and dimed to death. It's a common diplomacy tactic where you keep making very small asks that add up to a whole much larger and powerful than the sum of its parts. This will not be the last controversial implementation lawmakers will force down our throats. Neither will the next one.

And here we are, warring amongst ourselves over it, and digging up systemd for another argument about that along the way.
My solution is tart, but I'm gonna suggest it anyways;
*deep breath* Just don't comply. Let Linux die in jurisdictions that violate our ethics. When the internet crumbles beneath their feet and destroys everything they love about technology that can be on the politicians and the voters to figure out.

Make a disclaimer on your distro's download section that says "We do not comply with draconian laws and as such our distribution may be illegal in your area. We do not have the resources to make a cherry picked build for every different region of the planet and each of their unique laws. It is up to you to follow the law in your region." and then maybe block California outright but make no extra curricular effort beyond that.

There is no reason why we should have to conform to the rest of society. If society wants Linux they should have to play by Linux's rules.

I'm not here to talk shit, but I'm ashamed of everyone involved in bending their knee. This is a very politically unstable time we live in. Giving in to demands right now makes us pawns.

I understand that some people are scared, and I'm sorry you feel that way.

https://redd.it/1tn12gj
@r_linux